Doctors Debate: Should Stage III Melanoma Be Treated in the Adjuvant or Neoadjuvant Setting?

Source: Targeted Oncology, January 2022

During a recent medical meeting, Michael Lowe, MD, MA, FACS, FSSO, and Ragini Kudchadkar, MD, debated adjuvant therapy versus neoadjuvant for the treatment of resectable stage III melanoma.

Providers treating resectable stage III melanoma after surgery have a plethora of options including immunotherapy, targeted therapies, or radiation therapy. Administering these agents before surgery is still an investigational practice, and a question of whether it is better to treat in the adjuvant or neoadjuvant setting lingers.

During the 2021 Debates and Didactics in Hematology and Oncology conference at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, Michael Lowe, MD, MA, FACS, FSSO, assistant professor, Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine; and Ragini Kudchadkar, MD, associate professor, chair Protocol Review and Monitoring Committee Director melanoma and Skin Cancer Program, Winship Cancer Institute Emory University, debated about the topic. Lowe argued in favor of adjuvant therapy,¹ while Kudchadkar disputed for the neoadjuvant side of the debate.² However, Lowe explained that the debate is an ongoing one.